


like falling (down the stairs)

by soullpartners



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, minghao has a crush how cute, sorry the other members didn't make it in, this just happens to be focused on junhao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 15:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11420946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soullpartners/pseuds/soullpartners
Summary: “I just think ideal types are kind of stupid. You should just fall for a person, if that's your thing. But my parents always talk about their ideal type for me. It's always the same brand of smart and pretty Chinese girls.” Minghao ranted.But when Minghao looked over at Junhui, he saw that he had a slight smirk. Minghao looked away, but Junhui’s voice made him turn to him again.“Would you ever try a smart and pretty Chinese boy?”(Minghao is dragged to yet another boring party by his parents, but this time, with so many new people there, he meets someone who makes it a little more interesting.)





	like falling (down the stairs)

  
Minghao huffed his way through the masses of people, unsure of where he was going but positive he wanted to go. He was never big on parties in the first place, so to have been dragged to one with no occasion and a crowd of unusual guests he didn't know pushed his patience, to say the least.

His mother had informed him that they were just going to a small gathering, like a simple house party, with familiar people in the community. He was skeptical about the actual number of invites of course, when he heard the host was her coworker’s nephew’s friend’s neighbor’s cousin, but his mother just seemed so genuinely excited to go and bring her son. Minghao never completely agreed to go, but found himself at a huge, unfamiliar, expensive looking house lined with varying cars an hour later.

So much for a “small gathering.”

Minghao thought less of how he got into the mess in the first place and moved to focus more on finding a hiding spot. The halls were filled with bodies. He only recognized less than a fourth of the people there, and the few that he did recognize weren't even relatives, rather, distant family friends. Minghao also saw a lot more people his age that he hadn't seen at parties prior, mostly gathered by the pool or living room, but he didn't care about meeting others. He just wanted a place away from the noise, away from his overbearing parents. Maybe he could find a dog to play with outside by the gardens if he was lucky.

The house seemed endless, and Minghao ended up in the same spot he started walking multiple times. The layout way simply too puzzling. It wouldn't have been too far off to compare the house to a _mansion_.

“Minghao!” He heard someone call his name and instantly recognized the voice as his father. Minghao's eyes widened after realizing that they would find him soon. Quickly, he changed his route of escape and turned into a corridor, stepping through a pair of open doors into another hallway.

Except it wasn't an entrance to a hallway.

Minghao took a frantic step forward. There was no floor where he tried to walk.

Minghao stumbled and inevitably fell down what he now understood to be a set of wooden stairs. He stopped falling around the middle of the staircase, but had already accumulated enough scrapes and bruises. He winced from the pain and remained seated on the step, groaning slightly.

When Minghao opened his eyes again, he was still on the staircase, so only a few seconds had passed. What was different, though, was the fact that a stranger was in front of him. He grabbed his hands.

“Are you okay?” The stranger asked, pulling Minghao up. Minghao slowly regained his vision. The boy in front of him was stunning, much like his fall, but in a good way this time. He looked and sounded like a stereotypical perfect son Minghao's parents would have loved for him to turn out as, with a sweet voice and visuals that mimicked the likes of drama stars on television.

And with his more recent self-acceptance, Minghao didn't hold back and let himself call the boy attractive in his mind, without any doubts.

At least, he thought it was in his mind. Things were fuzzy. Who knew.

Minghao finally mumbled a response. The boy helped him stand and walked him down the full set of stairs. He still had a loose grip on Minghao's hand as he led him into the house’s basement.

It was when the stranger let go of his hand, plopped him on the couch, and spoke to him once more that Minghao became fully awake and aware.

He could still feel the pain, but it was definitely quieter down where they were. “Are you sure you're okay? What happened?” The boy asked again.

Minghao jumped back after realizing how close he was to him. “It's nothing, just a few scrapes...I think. I was trying to get away from my parents, then I didn't realize that there was a staircase drop.” Minghao responded, before remembering that the other boy had no idea who he was. “Oh, my name is Minghao, by the way. Thanks for, uh, helping me. I've never seen you at other parties or things the past years.”

“Junhui.” He introduced himself, sitting up straighter. He briefly considered a handshake, but figured that would be too formal. “It's no problem. That fall looked like it hurt though, are you sure you don't want to go back up and get something to treat the cuts? I know where Auntie keeps the bandages.” Junhui added. He looked genuinely concerned. Minghao gulped as Junhui gently put a hand on his knee. He just _had_ to choose to wear ripped jeans _today_ , because life liked to play jokes on him. _Curses_.

“Thanks, but there's no way in hell I’m going back up there.” Minghao glared at the ceiling above him. Junhui decided not to question him. “Also, you said ‘auntie?’ Are you close to the family that lives here? I don't even know anyone here.” Minghao went on. Minghao questioned what compelled him to suddenly feel open enough to talk to a stranger.

“Yeah, they're my cousins. And my aunt and uncle, obviously.” Junhui explained. I've never seen you either.” The two shortly talked about their connections (or the lack of, in Minghao’s case) to the hosts, coming to the conclusion that they didn't share any family for sure and practically shared no family friends as well. Minghao also found out that Junhui was actually a year older. He had already graduated and was going to university after the summer, while Minghao was still finishing high school, about to enter his senior year.

“If you really don't want to head back up, you can chill down here. I'm just watching my little brother while my parents get irresponsibly drunk off their asses with the other adults.” Junhui joked. Minghao laughed, as he wasn't wrong, it was part of the reason he was completely avoiding the main dining room. Minghao saw that a group of twenty to thirty kids were playing in the basement. They appeared to be around the age of nine or so, all occupied with games because their parents were accidentally neglecting them upstairs. Minghao felt for them. He remembered when he was their age at these parties.

The basement was very different from his own, however. It was completely furnished and floored, with a ping-pong table instead of boxes and dart boards or games where leaky pipes would usually be. Children were scattered across the vast floor, some playing with legos and others extremely focused on what appeared to be the most intense tournament of the Pokemon trading card game. Minghao giggled. “This place is cute.” Junhui smiled in agreement.

“If you don't mind me asking,” Junhui said suddenly. “why were you running away in the first place?”

“It's, um,” Minghao searched for the right words to use. “This is apparently a huge party or whatever, and I turn eighteen soon, and…my parents were trying to set me up with a girl I don't even know.”

Junhui laughed in response. “Yikes. Was she not your type?”

“N-not really, no.” Minghao stammered. “She and my parents were both dead set on the set up though. It was a nightmare.”

“I bet.” Junhui said. Minghao then told him all about his troubles earlier, leading up to the reason he fell down the staircase. Junhui was quite entertained. Minghao liked to think that he was a good storyteller, but the evening had been fairly eventful already, so skill wasn’t really needed to make things sound extra dramatic.

After the Minghao finished his traumatic horror stories of his romance obsessed parents and their chosen throw-in-dates, Junhui cleared his throat.

“So what _is_ your type then?” Junhui asked casually, as if it was a casual question. Minghao thought back to all of the times his friends from school had asked him the same question over the years, and they always led into conversations he didn't care for. About girls. He knew Junhui would expect a legitimate answer, but he wasn't about to confess his deepest secret to a near stranger, in such a straightforward way. Gossip spread like wildfire.

“I, uh...I guess I don't really have one? My parents just want to see me with someone, probably because they got married so young. I know they want grandkids when I'm older too, they just won't say it out loud.” Minghao grumbled.

“I just think ideal types are kind of stupid. You should just fall for a person, if that's your thing. But my parents want it to happen sooner, and they always talk about _their_ ideal type for me. It's always the same brand of smart and pretty Chinese girls.” Minghao ranted. It was the most legitimate answer he could come up with, everything ringing true. Junhui nodded and agreed with Minghao's opinions. Minghao calmed down.

But when Minghao looked over at Junhui, he saw that he had a slight smirk. Minghao looked away, but Junhui’s voice made him turn to him again.

“Would you ever try a smart and pretty Chinese _boy_?”

Minghao froze. He assessed his options here: one, admit yes, in hopes that Junhui was flirting. Two, say no, because he wasn't obligated to out himself to anyone. Three, say yes, because he was finally sure of who he was and there was nothing wrong with it. Or four, say yes and tell him the _fuck_ off, on the off chance that Junhui was just another irritating straight boy. Minghao was ready to fight.

In the end, Minghao lost the sudden courage and boldness right before he answered. His breath hitched as he softly said, not looking Junhui in the eye, “...I would.” He couldn't see Junhui’s expression. “Would you?” Minghao shot back.

Junhui didn't hesitate. “I wouldn't worry too much about the first three, but yeah. I would.” Minghao turned his head to look back at him. Junhui was clearly more confident than he was. They held eye contact for more than just a few casual seconds, and Minghao felt like he had fallen down the stairs again.

The two were interrupted when Junhui’s younger brother popped up with a few other kids, wearing bright grins on their faces. “We’re playing hide and seek! Jun, come play with us, and bring your friend!” Minghao watched as Junhui grew fond from his brother instantly. _Adorable_ , Minghao noted. _Wait_ , _no_. Minghao corrected himself internally.

“Okay. Do you want us to be the seekers, or the hiders?” Minghao felt out of place with all of these children he didn't know. Junhui caught a glance of him from the side and whispered, “Just roll with it.”

“No, you suck at hiding! You always pick the worst places and blame it on how old and forgetful you are!” He pointed at Junhui. Minghao held back a snicker as Junhui acted offended and hurt. Junhui’s brother then pointed at Minghao. “Hey you, what's your name?” Minghao told him his name. “You be on the hiding team, okay? Jun, Lillie, Tai, and Min are the seekers this time!” The kids then split up into their assigned teams, bustling with energy. Minghao then realized that maybe, this “hide and seek” they were playing was nothing like the game he played as a child.

Junhui noticed the look of confusion on his face and pulled him to the side. “Oh right, you should probably know that these kids like to play hide and seek a little bit differently.”

“Well I can see that _now_.” Minghao said as it became obvious. A few kids were pushing the ping pong table away from the sofas, others arguing where to correctly put the “jails.”

Junhui began to explain the gist of the game. “So we're split into teams. Your goal is to not get caught. Lillie will count to forty, and the kids will hide like normal. You can move at any time, but when one of us catches you, you're put on the ‘chain gang.’ Basically you’re caught until a teammate frees you and the seeker drags you around with them everywhere. When the seeker holding you finds another person, you're sent to jail, which is that big hula hoop in open space over there. Hard to be freed from the jail.”

Minghao tried to take it all in as Junhui continued. “If you see a teammate hiding, and you wave to each other, you say ‘freeze!’ Then your seeker is frozen, can't talk or move for the rest of the game, and you're free to hide again. Just remember that there are other seekers. You guys win if you freeze all of us, and we win when we catch all of you. Make sense?” Minghao shook his head. “It's alright, the kids will help you.” Junhui pat Minghao's head before walking back to his team.

Minghao stood still and tried to process what just happened.

“One...two…” a girl began to count off. He didn't have time, he had to hide. Junhui and the other three kids already had their eyes shut tightly. Everyone on the hiding team was scrambling to get to sustainable places, which was easy with how large the basement was, if you were a small child. Kids stepped into closets, hid under tables, behind sofas, under blankets, and climbed just about everywhere. Minghao wondered if he could even _fit_ anywhere with his lanky limbs.

“...seventeen, eighteen…” Minghao needed to get to somewhere, and fast.

“Come on!” Junhui’s brother whispered to Minghao, motioning for him to follow. They ended up near the corner of the room. Junhui’s brother suggested that they hide together under the stuffed animal pile that was already conveniently placed there, because he reasoned that it would make a good makeshift spot until they made up their mind about where they each wanted to move. Junhui’s little brother sat on Minghao's lap under the pile of toys so they could remain unseen. He giggled with excitement and held on closer to Minghao when he heard the seeking team shout that they were coming. Normally, Minghao wasn't the best with kids, but he couldn’t help but feel happy, seeing the kid so happy.

A few minutes passed. Two of the hiders were already captured, but not a single member of the seeking team was frozen. From under the colorful pile of stuffed animals, Minghao heard approaching footsteps, growing closer and closer. Junhui’s brother hurriedly tried to devise and plan and signal it to Minghao, but he couldn't think of anything. Minghao bowed his head with a nod, before slipping out of the stuffed animal pile.

A self-sacrifice.

Minghao dashed out of their hiding place to cause a distraction, but was caught by a member of the seeking team almost instantly. At least the kid was safe.

“Found you,” Junhui sang as he caught Minghao’s hand in his own. Even though it was just part of the game, color rose in Minghao’s cheeks. He hoped that Junhui wouldn't be able to tell.

Truthful to the rules, Junhui really did drag Minghao around with him as he searched for the others. Another five minutes passed and somewhere in between, he intertwined their fingers. “How long do I have to keep following you around everywhere?” Minghao whined. Junhui turned back to look at him with a playful smile.

“Until I find another person, and then you'll be sent to jail. So if you really want to go, you should help me find the other kids on your team. I know you know where they are.” Junhui joked. Minghao didn't know the exact location of each kid, but he did know the general areas they were hiding in. He saw them discreetly move from place to place and work together behind the scenes. Some of them were trying to get close enough to wave and save Minghao, or the other kids in the jails. Minghao made sure to give no reaction to keep the plans silent and distract Junhui.

“Never.” Minghao sulkily replied, as Junhui opened an empty closet door and muttered to himself about how hard it was to beat these kids.

“Then you're stuck with me.”

Minghao wondered if Junhui actually sounded that flirtatious or if his brain was just on panic mode. “Fine. But can you at least walk a little slower? No wonder you're so bad at this game.” Minghao teased. Junhui took Minghao's advice and slowed his steps.

“Sure thing, sweetheart.” _Sweetheart_? Minghao's brain was _definitely_ on panic mode now.

“Do you call everyone sweetheart?” Minghao said coyly as Junhui took him to another part of the large basement in search of the kids. Minghao saw them behind him.

“No, only the ones I like.” Junhui replied without second thought. Junhui still had his back turned to Minghao as they walked. The hiding kids behind him made mocking faces and hand hearts, only making Minghao blush further. Then, they hastily waved at each other without attracting Junhui’s attention. The kids went back into hiding.

Then, Minghao pulled back on Junhui’s hand, stopping the both of them. “Hey, _Junnie_ ,” Minghao started, trying hard not to cringe at his own attempt of rivalling Junhui by using a nickname. Junhui raised an eyebrow when Minghao put both of his hands on Junhui’s shoulders.

“Freeze.” Minghao grinned while Junhui gasped, breaking contact. He ran off giggling, off to find another hiding spot. Junhui stood, well, frozen. Junhui watched as Minghao high fived the little group of girls and boys that helped to free him, including his brother. Xu Minghao was so bright.

After another ten minutes of the game, just when more people had been eliminated and the the round had become more even, another teenager around Junhui’s age opened the basement door to the staircase and called out that the desserts were being brought out. The two teams agreed on calling it a draw, and the kids rushed upstairs. Junhui waited for Minghao to find him again.

“Do you want to go? Or do you not want to risk heading upstairs again.”

“I’d rather not,” Minghao said simply. “You don't have to wait for me though, you should go if you want to. This place is kind of dull when there's not thirty yelling children in it.”

“No, I like being with you.” Junhui beamed. “You look like you wouldn't mind a friend anyway. You're going to have to go back up eventually though. I know a quicker way out.” Junhui offered, walking towards the staircase. “Come on.” Minghao followed.

They headed back up the staircase. Junhui boldly put an arm around Minghao's waist. “Watch your step.” He teased. Minghao rolled his eyes. Junhui moved his arm away when they reached the top and saw the crowds of people flocking to the dining room. “This way.” Junhui brought him through more corridors and hallways and rooms, and stopped when they reached a set of glass double doors on the other side of the house. The doors looked like the ones that Minghao had stumbled across earlier, that led to the pool, but upon stepping through, Minghao saw that these glass doors actually led to the porch and the gardens.

Minghao skipped ahead of Junhui and walked past the lining of hedges and flower bushes. “Do your aunt and uncle have a dog?” Minghao asked excitedly, eyes bright and shining. Junhui chuckled.

“No,” Junhui began as Minghao looked extremely underwhelmed and disappointed. “but it's still pretty out here, and quieter too. They probably won't find you here.”

“I guess.” Minghao mumbled. He took Junhui’s word and looked up to see that it was clear enough to see the glimmering stars. “Hey, you can see the stars!” Minghao went over onto the porch to get a better view. Junhui followed after him and stood by his side as Minghao's eyes were lit up by his fascination with the constellations. “You know any of the constellations?” Minghao asked.

Junhui looked around. “Uhhh...that's _probably_ Ursa Major?” Junhui guessed, pointing at a section in the middle of the sky, slightly above the horizon line.

Minghao laughed. Panic mode was momentarily switched off. “Nice try. That's actually Monoceros, but it's kind of close to Ursa Major! Well…kind of…”

“We can't all be space nerds.” Junhui retorted, earning a slap on the arm from Minghao.

“You're a nerd too. And Ursa Major is over…” Minghao drew his arm up and pointed towards the east. “...there.” Minghao finished. Junhui still had a face of confusion. “You don't see it? Okay, do you see those three really bright stars by the constellation you thought was Ursa Major? The unicorn?” Minghao tried to give directions through the stars.

“Sure?” Junhui responded, still unsure. Minghao thought about just grabbing Junhui’s hand and showing him that way, but turned the idea down, thinking it would be too much to handle.

“Those three stars are Orion’s belt. He's shooting an arrow, but if you follow his other arm, you can find a pentagon-looking thing with a another really bright star. That's Auriga, and its brightest star Capella.” Minghao explained, tracing a pentagon shape in the sky. “Hey, are you listening?” Minghao snapped when he saw that Junhui was looking at him, and not the stars. “We're almost there! Follow the tip of Auriga all the way up...there. That's Ursa Major! It just looks different because it's upside down. Aren’t they pretty?”

“Yeah…” Junhui said in a trance. He snapped out of it and joined Minghao to look up at the glistening sky. It really was breathtaking, to have such a clear view of the inspirational stars. But…

“Wait, you weren't looking at the stars.” Minghao said, breaking the moment of silence between them. It took him a few seconds to realize. “Wait...you weren't looking at the stars!” Minghao said again. Junhui was caught guilty. “Did you really just use the most cliche line from like, all books and movies _ever_?” Minghao accused, grinning like a fool.

“What, no! I mean, yes, I was staring at you, but I didn't mean to do that thing where one character says something is pretty and then another character agrees except they're looking at the first character! I was just––”

“You're really cute, Junhui.” Minghao cut in. It felt good to make someone else feel like they were falling down the stairs for once, strangely. Junhui paused before speaking again, collecting himself.

“I know.” He said with utter confidence. Minghao and Junhui both broke into laughter.

Minghao sat next to Junhui on the porch bench. They spent the next hour, just with each other, and the accompaniment of the night stars.  
–––––––––––––

When Minghao checked his phone and found three missed phone calls, all from his parents, it was much later, though the party was still thriving with people. “We should probably go inside.” Junhui nodded and led him back in.

Minghao found his parents back at the main entrance of the house, with Junhui still at his side. They went over to him swiftly and asked where he was, if he was okay. “I was just with a friend.” Minghao told his parents.

His mother looked at Junhui, who was still awkwardly standing on the sidelines. She smiled at him. “Oh, are you Minghao's friend? I've never met you before! I'm his mother.” She shook his hands.

“Nice to meet you! My name is Wen Junhui.” Junhui replied politely in Mandarin.

Minghao's mother’s eyes lit up. She elbowed her husband in the side. “He speaks perfect Mandarin _and_ he's handsome! So much nicer than those silly Korean boys HaoHao hangs out with.” Minghao's father looked just as happy. Minghao hid his face and inhaled deeply as Junhui chuckled slightly. “Well, we still have to say goodbye to some people, but we’re going to leave soon. Okay?” Minghao nodded. His parents left and headed back into the main dining room, still wearing wide grins on their faces.

Once his parents were out of sight, Minghao sighed. Junhui just laughed it off. “Your parents are nice.”

“Only because you’re like, perfect to their standards.” Junhui blushed. Minghao looked him in the eye and started to speak again. “Hey, um...thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I would have been miserable if you hadn't stuck around. For once I actually––had fun at one of these parties.” Minghao said shyly.

“It was fun hanging out with you too.” Junhui said. Minghao and Junhui stood like there was something between them. After a while, Junhui spoke up. “Would you want my number?” He asked calmly, though his heart was beating fast.

“Yes! I-I mean, yeah, sure.” Minghao said, a mess of emotions. They passed each other their phones and made their own contacts, entering in their own phone numbers. Minghao could have sworn he spent a solid minute deciding whether or not to put something cute with his contact name, like a heart or an emoticon. In the end, he just settled for “Minghao.”

“Thanks,” they both said simultaneously, before laughing together again. Minghao figured his parents would be back soon, meaning he would have to go soon. For once, he didn't want to leave a party early.

Minghao quickly scanned the vicinity to make sure they were alone in the entrance corridor. “So just to make sure, we're in no way related, right? It just so happens that a shit ton of people showed up here?” Minghao asked for confirmation.

“Definitely.” Junhui answered.

“Good.” Minghao said, before leaning in to press a quick kiss to Junhui’s lips. Junhui’s eyes were filled with surprise. A few seconds later, he saw his parents come into distant view. They called his name. Junhui was still frozen as Minghao smirked and waved on his way out. “Bye, Junhui!”

Junhui blinked twice and tried to register what had just happened. His face felt hot. He instinctively held two fingers to his lips, where the heat of Minghao’s goodbye still lingered.

Over in his parent’s car, Minghao held his head in his knees and smiled, still feeling giddy from the burst of adrenaline. He wondered when he had gotten so bold, if he really just did _that_.

Neither of them could stop smiling for the rest of the night.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i was actually working on a big chaptered fic but memories of the parties i was always dragged to (full of only other chinese people) when i was younger just like, hit me. i got inspired lol. 
> 
> i also matched the constellation patterns to the ones i saw outside the day i wrote this!! 
> 
> ok im done have a nice day


End file.
